“Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.” – Robert Frost

Frosty, frozen Lake County mornings are made for a hot cup of cocoa. The miniature ice crystals form on grass, ground and windows, creating artistic tableaus in our own backyards.

Frost, the bane of vintners and gardeners, is otherwise lovely to look upon with its myriad of fanciful sculptures and swirls.

The fragile, fleeting star-shaped crystals vanish so quickly, one is apt to wonder if they ever even existed.

Frost forms in damp, wintry conditions. The moisture freezes into branches and fractals- those mathematical symmetries that repeat themselves.

There are actually many types of frost, including rime, hoar, window, black and white frost to name but a few.

Hoar frost is the kind that crystallizes from water vapor, while window frost forms, as its namesake implies – on windows and smooth surfaces.

Black frost can form with very little humidity, while white frost requires more humid conditions to show up.

Hoar frost forms lovely, white ice crystals on the ground or outdoor objects which “Jack Frost” has touched.

Jack Frost is said to be the embodiment of cold conditions such as sleet, snow and icy weather. He's made many literary appearances, such as in Chris Van Allsburg's “The Stranger,” the “Rainbow Magic” children's fiction series, and Jack Frost has made appearances in the 1940s Timely Comics, currently named Marvel Comics, as one of the Liberty Legion characters who could create ice.

Hannah F. Gould wrote a poem called, “Jack Frost”:

Jack Frost
by Hannah F. Gould

The Frost looked forth one still, clear night,
And whispered, "Now I shall be out of sight;
So, through the valley, and over the height,
In silence I'll take my way.
I will not go on like that blustering train,
The wind and the snow, the hail and the rain,
That make such a bustle and noise in vain,
But I'll be as busy as they!"
So he flew to the mountain, and powdered its crest;
He lit on the trees, and their boughs he drest
With diamonds and pearls; and over the breast
Of the quivering lake he spread
A coat of mail, that it need not fear
The downward point of many a spear
That he hung on its margin, far and near,
Where a rock could rear its head.
He went to the windows of those who slept,
And over each pane, like a fairy, crept;
Wherever he breathed, wherever he stepped,
By the light of the morn were seen
Most beautiful things; there were flowers and trees;
There were bevies of birds and swarms of bees;
There were cities with temples and towers; and these
All pictured in silvery sheen!
But he did one thing that was hardly fair -
He peeped in the cupboard, and finding there
That all had forgotten for him to prepare -
"Now, just to set them a-thinking,
I'll bite this basket of fruit," said he,
"This costly pitcher I'll burst in three;
And the glass of water they've left for me
Shall 'tchick' to tell them I'm drinking!"

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.